Floor treatment implement with vacuum cleaning mechanism



Dec. 29, 1953 LA VERN A. PERCY 2,663,893 FLOOR TREATMENT IMPLEMENT WITH VACUUM CLEANING MECHANISM Filed July 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN V EN TOR. i

Dec. 1953 LA VERN A. PERCY 3,

FLOOR TREATMENT IMPLEMENT WITH VACUUM CLEANING MECHANISM Filed July 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN T 0R.

18 serves to secure the motor and fan to the handle 6 of the implement. A familiar type of dust bag 19 is associated with the vacuum fan and connected to the upper end of the handle by a spring In order to close the opening at the rear end of the hood around the back of the base I, I provide a curved extension plate 2i having notched forward ends 22 which fit between the base and the rear end of the hood 8. Ears 23 on the extension plate are arranged to be secured to flat surfaces on the rear of the base by means of screws 24. In order to enclose the space completely around the hood and extension plate downwardly to the floor, I provide a skirt 25 of flexible rubber which is wrapped completely around the bottom of the hood and the'extension plate and held in place by a retaining band 26. The band 26 is drawn tight by the screw clamp 21 (see Figs. 1 and 4).

Mounted on the underside of the hood below each of the bosses l4 and the suction ports therein is a nozzle plate 28 which serves to limit the size of the vacuum passages from the tubes to adjacent the brush 4. As is most clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the nozzle plates 28 consist of upper horizontal portions 29 which underlie the bosses l4 and project from their radially inner edges outwardly toward the outer flange i l of the hood. Downturned arcuate flange 36 on the nozzle plates eoact with the outer flange H to form segmental arcuate nozzle passages 3! which are relatively narrow and of limited length so that the vacuum capacity of the fan It is sumcient to maintain relatively high velocity through the nozzle passages 3|. The horizontally opposite ends of the arcuate flanges 30 are turned radially outwardly and secured to the flange H, thus closing the ends of the arcuate nozzle passages at 32.

I find that the tremely effective in picking upwax particles or dust dislodged by the rotating brush 4 and, further, in picking up dirt and small objects on the floor which are encountered as the implement is moved over the floor. hood 8'and skirt provide a closed vacuum chamber completely around the brush 4. The flexible character of the skirt 25 causes it to wrinkle or buckle as V the floor, thus creating relatively small inlet openings 33 at various positions around the skirt.

The small area of these openings coupled with the capacity of the fan in relatively high velocity of the air passing through the openings 33 and effective pickup of small objects as large as cigarette butts from the floor around the implement. All dirt or dust within the hood 8 is subject to the vacuum of the fan 16 and will tend to be drawn up through the tubes l5. The nozzle plates 28 are extremely important to the effectiveness of my attachment in that the area between the brush 4 and the skirt 25 is relatively large, and the velocity of air therethrough would normally be relatively low. However, the nozzle plates 28 form relatively constricted nozzles at each side of the brush so that there is an area of high suction velocity at each side of the brush. All dust and dirt within the skirt will sooner or later be brushed by one of the nozzle plates 28 and thus be subjected to the high velocity air passing therethrough. The dirt will accordingly be picked up dust bag 19 without resorting to abnormally large foregoing construction is ex It will be noted that the.

the implement is passed over Hi to create a vacuum result.

and .carried into the and uneconomical size in the vacuum fan and motor.

I find that an efficient and effective ratio between the cross sectional areas of the tubes l5 and the nozzle passages 3| to be 1 to 1.84. The nozzle passages 3i may be considered as throats opening into the annular space around the brush. This may be varied considerably, and if the area of the throats is kept between four times and slightly less than one times the area of the tubes, the resulting structure will be efiective to pick up most objects encountered in cleaning floors. Cutting the area of the throats much below the area of the tubes unnecessarily chokes the fan, assuming a properly designed fan and tube. Extending the area of the throats much over four times the area of the tubes reduces the velocity of air at the throats to a point where the suction will be ineifective to pick up any but the lightest dust.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A vacuum attachment for a floor treating implement having a flat circular brush rotatively mounted on the bottom of a circular base comprising, a hood U-shaped in horizontal outline and downwardly opening U-shaped in vertical cross section with depending flanges on its radially inner and outer edges, said hood being adapted to fit around the front and sides of said base with the inner flange of the hood resting on said base and the outer flange of said hood projecting therebelow, hooked bolts for releasably clamping said hood to said base, an extension plate connectable between the rear ends of the outer flanges of said hood to extend around the rear of said brush and below said base, a skirt of flexible sheeting clamped around the outside of said hood and said extension plate and extending downwardly below the bottom of said brush to engage the floor therearound in a riniied fashion, a vacuum motor and fanadapted to be mounted on said implement and having a dust receiving bag, apair of suction tubes extending from the inlet of said fanto the top of said hood on opposite sides thereof and opening therethrough to the space between said hood and said base, and a pair of throat elements secured to the underside of said hood adjacent to said tubes and coactingwith the outer side flanges of said hood to form a segmental arcuate vacuum throat at each side of said hoodand projecting -downwardly to the bottom thereof withinsaid skirt.

2. A vacuum, attachmentf for a floor treating implement having a flat circular brush rotatively mounted onthe bottom of a'base comprising, a hood U-shaped in'horizontal outline and downwardly opening U-shaped in vertical cross section with depending flanges onits radially inner and outer edges, said hood being adapted to fit around the front and'sides of said base with the innerflange of the hood supported on said base and the outerflange of saidhood surrounding the front and sides of said base, hooks for clamping said hood to saidbase, an extension plate connectable between the rear ends of said hood to extend around the rear of said brush, a'skirt of flexible sheeting clamped around the outside of said hood and said extension. plate and ex-' tending downwardly below the bottom of said brush to engage the floor therearound in a ruflled fashion, a' vacuumrmotor and fan adapted to be on opposite .sides :thereofrand-.Qpemn e t emr through to the space betweenrsaidhood andsaidbase, and a pair of throats-elements; secured to;

the freigit and sides of saidbase with the inner aneel t hoqds srertsd Q1 s ba an the o te fl n e f, a d. h od S r din -t front and sides of said base, means for clamping said hood to said base, an extension plate connectable between the rear ends of said hood to extend around the rear of said brush, a skirt of flexible sheeting clamped around said hood and said extension plate and extending downwardly to the bottom of said brush to engage the floor therearound, a vacuum motor and fan adapted to be mounted on said implement and having a dust receiving bag, a pair of suction tubes extending from the inlet of said fan to the side branches of said hood and opening therethrough to the space between said hood and said base, and a pair of walls on the underside of said hood adjacent to said tubes and coacting with the outer side flanges of said hood to form a segmental arcuate vacuum throat at each side of said hood, each throat opening to its adjacent tube and projecting downwardly within said skirt and to below the level of said base and opening downwardly at its lower end.

4. A vacuum attachment for a floor treating machine having a flat circular power driven brush rotatively mounted on the bottom of a base and a handle secured to the rear of said base comprising, a horizontally U-shaped hood arranged to fit around the front and sides of said base and project radially therebeyond, the radially inner edge of said hood being closed upon the top of said base, a flexible skirt secured around said hood and base and projecting therebelow to engage the fioor around said brush and spaced radially outwardly therefrom, a vacuum motor and fan adapted to be mounted on said machine, a dust collecting bag operatively associated with said fan, and a pair of vacuum tubes opening from the inlet of said fan through oppositely disposed portions of said hood into the annular space between said brush and said skirt, means forming suction throats within said hood communicating with the ends of said tubes within said hood, said throat forming means having downwardly facing openings formed therein and positioned in and being narrower than the annular space between said skirt and said brush and extending arcuately along the underside of said hood, said throats extending downwardly to below the level of said base.

5. In combination with a floor treating machine having a flat circular power driven brush rotatively mounted on the underside of a base and a handle connected to the rear of said base for guiding said machine, a hood removably secured around the front and sides of said base and having a depending outer flange projecting i? downward y: i -ad el-lv s ace id bees-,1 el-n0 abl I s w e eneaged-=w th he fi Q i a l 0t herefor. mm; d vacuum tub s;- eni thmuehts id; hQQ1 raise lmthe inlet-d eti ito more te. s desof tbes a e hetweensa dthoeel .n s. base I ll, themnders s e sa d qsa er t ai-dt be andceactingw t the-Qut l ne -:Q saidrl qd;

chine: havi ga flat-ci sularmower: it nrb la. rotatively mounted on the underside of a base and a handle connected to the rear of said base for guiding said machine, a hood removably secured around the front and sides of said base and having a depending outer flange projecting downwardly in radially spaced relationship with said base, a flexible skirt secured around the bottom of said hood and the back of said base in radially spaced relation to said brush and proj ecting into wrinkling contact with the floor when said brush is operatively engaged with the floor, a vacuum motor and fan mounted on said machine, a vacuum tube opening from the inlet of said fan to the space between said hood and said base, and means on the underside of said hood adjacent to said tube forming a downwardly opening narrow arcuate vacuum throat between said tube and the space within said skirt, said throat projecting downwardly to the bottom of said flange and to below the level of said base.

7. A vacuum attachment for a floor treating machine having a power driven flat circular brush rotatively mounted on the bottom of a base and a handle secured to the rear of said base comprising, a horizontally U-shaped hood arranged to fit around thefront and sides of said base and project therebelow, the radially inner edge of said u-shaped hood bein sealingly engageable with the top of said base, a flexible skirt adapted to be secured around the bottom of said hood and the rear of said base to project therebelow and engage the floor around said brush radially outward therefrom, an extension plate adapted to connect the rear ends of said hood behind said base and support the rear portion of said skirt to complete an annular space around said brush, a vacuum motor and fan adapted to be mounted on said handle, a. dust collecting bag operatively associated with said fan, and a pair of vacuum tubes opening from the inlet of said fan through oppositely disposed portions at the sides of said hood, means forming suction throats within said hood communicating with the ends of the tubes, said throat forming means extending arcuately along the underside of the-periphery of said hood and projecting downwardly to below the level of said base and having downwardly facing openings positioned in the space between said brush and said skirt, the cross sectional area of said openings being between one and four times the area of said tubes.

8. A vacuum attachment for a floor treating machine having a power driven fiat circular brush rotatively mounted on the bottom of a base 7 and a handle secured to the'rear of said base comprising, a horizontally U-shaped hood arranged to fit around the front and sides of said base and project radially outwardly therefrom, the radially inner edge of said U-shaped hood being closed upon the top of said base, a flexible skirt adapted to be secured around the rear of said base and said hood to project therebelow to engage the floor around said brush in radially outwardly spaced relation, a vacuum motor and fan adapted to be mounted onsaid handle, a dust collecting bag operatively associated with said fan, a pair of vacuum tubes opening from the inlet of said fan through oppositely disposed portions at the sides of said hood, and means on the underside of said hood forming suction throats communicating with said tubes, said throats extending arcuately and downwardly within the annular space between said brush and said skirt to downwardly opening lower ends positioned 20 below the level of said base, the cross sectional area of said open ends being slightly larger than the area of said tubes.

LA VERN A. PERCY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,042,711 Moorhead Oct. 29, 1912 1,633,598 McClatchie June 28, 1927 1,673,529 Ponselle June 12, 1928 2,068,349 Paine Jan. 19, 1937 2,146,268 Fowell Feb. '7, 1939 15 2,220,224 Faber Nov. 5, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 486,499 Great Britain June 1, 1938 566,526 France Feb. 15, 1924 

